Excellent performances from the top three and a number of personal bests beaten. Majorov has finally held it all together to deliver the best skate of his career to date but the prize for the most incredible performance of the afternoon award has to go to Viktor Pfeifer who delivered a near perfect, beautifully presented and executed routine to place 10th. Harry Mattick who has made some costly errors and failed to qualify but who still gave an enjoyable, entertaining performance deserves a special mention.

Despite his age and multiple injuries Plushenko continued to be a formidable competitor but is his body finally saying 'No'? He was very lucky to end up skating in the final group (both Kovtun and Majorov should have easily beaten him, in my opinion) and given his chances of medalling are very slim and his chances of winning are pretty much zero at this point, I wonder whether he's going to withdraw now (ETA: shortly after I've posted this, he has anounced his withdrawal due to injury).

So after being positively surprised with the judging being relatively decent yesterday, we're back to the usual crap now.

Not a single judge noticed that Fernandez's combination spin was off-centred throughout or that Brezina had no steps preceding the quad (and he got five -2s for missing a combo which is an automatic -3). Only one judge gave -3 to Plushenko's 3lutz which was meant to be the combination and had no preceding footwork (and was barely landed on top of that). Yakov Godorozha received six -2s for a 3axel with a step out (-2 to -3) and a hand down (-1). Deductions are cumulative. I guess it's nitpicking on details but still.

Whilst judges would (correctly or incorrectly) penalise skaters for mistakes, they didn't seem to make use of the whole GOE in order to not only reward high quality but also penalise for low quality of execution.

And another thing is PCS. As usual, there was very little variation despite skaters having different strengths and weaknesses. And the marks seemed connected with both the jumps that a skater performed and his starting order, even though those are not the things that are included in the judging criteria, are they?

3lutz(hand down)/2toe  weird timing on the lutz take-off (it looked rushed) and he didn't get a lot of distance and was off-axis in the air as a result [-2]
3flip  fall [-3]
sit holding foot/change sit(off-centred)/jump to sit  positions not extended well [-2]
2axel  flow out could be a little better [0]
camel/intermediate camel var/sit/change sit broken leg/up var  again positions not extended very well and rotation a little slow [-1]
circular step sequence [0]
flying camel - very poor extension [-1]

His movement was quite awkward and he skated with rounded shoulders. His edges weren't that bad (quite deep actually) for a skater of his standard.

I'm sorry but Rana Belkis Gocmen doesn't seem to be able to teach her skaters good technique. All her skaters I can remember really struggle on the triple jumps. I think that if Turkish skating is to develop properly, the federation really should hire some outside coaches to train not only their skaters but more importantly the coaches.

3toe/3toe  nice and solid on the first one, the second (after a little hesitation) was a little tight on the landing and very slightly cheated [0]
camel coe/jump to change camel to catch [0]
camel/sit var/up/change sit broken leg/up butt out(poor extension)  rotation quite slow, weak camel position [-1]
3lutz  really fought for the landing, free foot almost touched but he managed to keep it off and stay upright [-1]
straight line step sequence  flow not bad, could use more speed though [0]
steps into 2axel  solid, connected directly to the straight line step sequence [1]
sit/jump to sit to side twist to var  rotation quite slow, positions could be better extended [-1]

He maintained quite decent flow throughout the program but the speed was lacking. His lines looked messy and could be better extended. Expression was lacking. A question mark over the choice of music, which was slow and constant throughout, lacking both rhythm and highlights.

I loved how he continued to perform footwork after completing his step sequence and then did 2axel right out of steps (having skated more than a whole length of rink of footwork!).

His improvement since last season (when he wasn't really able to land any jumps) is quite remarkable. He has improved his personal best by over 22 points!!! Moving to the US for better training conditions has definitely paid off.

Good expression throughout, he seemed to really pay attention presenting the program. Flow not bad. PCS in general not very bad for a skater with such a limited jump arsenal.

This was the best I've ever seen him skate. He's improved quite a lot. Not a bad performance for his standards (although obviously a shame about the toe-loop). A new personal best for him (by around 1.5 points).

3axel  long entry and slightly scratchy landing but landed it [-1]
3lutz/3toe [0]
flying camel to donut and upside twist to catch  weak positions, not a lot of speed [-1]
3flip  short break after steps, free leg touched down slightly on the landing [-2]
to sit cannonball/change sit/jump to sit to forward tuck  some of the positions a little weak, rotation quite slow by the end [-1]
straight line step sequence [0]
camel(poor position)/up(very off-centred)/change sit broken leg/up butt out  positions not extended very well, could use more speed [-2]

He was quite stiff, skated with rounded shoulders and lacked expression. His basics are quite weak for a skated with his jump arsenal.

The quality of execution of his elements wasn't good but good for him landing all his jumps. A new personal best for him (by almost 1.5 points).

Anna Levandi had a very nice makeover, her new haircut suits her really well.

3axel  underrotated over a quarter, fall [-3]
3lutz/3toe  entry a little long but both jumps executed quite well [0]
scratch butterflies into flying camel to coe to donut  extension good but could use a little more speed [0]
3lip  landing not very strong, seemed that free foot touched slightly on the landing [-3]
back sit to leg behind/change sit cannonball to broken leg  decent positions and rotation speed [1]
camel to upward catch/sit tuck/change sit/jump to sit/upright [0]
circular step sequence  could use some more speed [0]

He could use a little more speed. The music really didn't work for him. It was Latin, it was playful but he didn't make good use of it, seemed quite withdrawn and didn't show a lot of expression and didn't make good use for it. He is quite elegant with a decent posture and lines and classical music or soundtracks (that he skated to during his last Euros outing) suit him much better.

It's his first European Championships and it looks like the nerves got the best of him. A real shame because he showed very good expression throughout, his movement was quite detailed and composed and he's a very good spinner. The potential is definitely there.

Nice to see the judges reward him on the PCS somewhat, despite the technical score being so low, definitely well deserved.

A total disaster on the jumps but his overall skating ability was clearly best so far. Very good speed throughout, quite clean edges and very strong spins. He was quite elegant as well (although his shoulders were rounded).

Looking through his past competition results, it seems that maintaining focus is a serious issue for him. I hope he is working with a sport psychologist because there's a lot of ability there and it would be a shame if it could never be realised to full potential. He has the goods and just needs to work on delivering them under pressure.

His basics are decent but he's capable of performing this program (that he's kept after last season) much better. Choreography isn't bad but he wasn't selling it at all and just seemed to be going through the motions.

A lot of speed throughout and a fun, decently choreographed program featuring a fair amount of transitions. He blew all of his spins though (I wonder whether the judges will notice - ETA: checking the protocols after the event, they did notice ).

He's a very voidy and entertaining performer but his posture is quite appalling (Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and his movements are really messy and unfinished. Choreography fell short for me and didn't bring his strengths out enough (not enough goofing around, basically ).

The speed, the basic skating, posture and lines, immediately set him apart from the rest. But technically, he was very far from his best. Choreography was very generic. The program lacked transitions or any interesting highlights.

Given his age and his never-ending battle with injuries that just keep piling up, the Sochi gold seems more and more of a distant dream. He's an incredible performer that proved time and time again that he can deliver under pressure but his body can only take so much. It might be the time to bow out.

Stunning posture and lines. All of his movements were beautifully extended and accentuated. The program flowed very well from start to finish and all of the technical elements were executed to a high standard.

Quit elegant and composed movement throughout. Whilst elements seemed to flow together well and the layout didn't seem bad, the program wasn't very interesting or memorable. The choreography lacked highlights.

His edges are quite smooth but he needs a lot of cross-overs in order to generate speed.

Verner's continued inability to deliver under pressure is extremely frustrating, given what he's capable of. Today not only the jumps didn't work but he also seemed to make no effort presenting the program, lacking expression and just going through the motions. A not like this trademark Nichol snoozefest is a good program to begin with (it's very generic).

He was light over the ice, as usual, but other than that this was a very disappointing performance.

Liebers's basics aren't bad (his skating skills in particular are quite decent) and this program works quite well for him, reflecting the music decently and containing a few memorable highlights. I just wish he would push more on the expression and really sell his routines. He always seems quite distant.

4toe/turn/3toe(solid) [-1]  good height and distance
3axel  not a lot of flow out [0]
flying up var to L to var  decent positions and rotation speed [1]
3lutz  high and solid, flow out could be a little better [1]
camel/sit pancake coe/jump to sit/up var to cross-foot  quite good rotation speed [1]
sit/jump to sit/change sit side twist to forward tuck(a little slow) [0]
circular step sequence  good expression, fast footwork, a little scratchy though and edges could be more pronounced [1]

Joubert is finally back in good shape. Strong basic skating, good speed and whilst the program was a little short on the transition front (as usual), it didn't lack character. Joubert was expressive and skated to the music well, managed to capture its mood with his movements and the choreography fitted his chosen tracks well also.

4salchow  landing a little skiddy but he held it, no preceding footwork though (he does one turn, then there's a break and then comes the jump) [-2]
3flip(high but overrotated)/2toe(won't count) [-3]
3axel  high and solid [1]
camel to upside twist/change camel to catch  could use a little more speed but the positions were well extended [1]
flying sit to cannonball to forward tuck  could use some more speed [0]
straight line step sequence  quite deep edges, fast footwork, a lot of attack [2]
camel/jump to sit/up pancake/chagne camel/sit/up var  quite slow [-1]

His skating skills are good (quite deep and smooth edges) and he did seem to move in time with the music most of the time but the choreography was really basic. He skated around the rink into the first jump, the around into the second, around into the third, then did two spins, steps and another spin.

The spins didn't work very well for him today. The flip was overcooked. He got incredible height on it, making it hard to control.

There's clearly potential there. He seems to be a very strong jumper his posture is quite good, he has beautiful, elegant lines and he can be quite expressive. Choreography lacking however and the program didn't have any character.

A decent job on the elements and his speed was quite good but the program seemed like an afterthought. Not much relation to the music and not much going on in between the elements. And his movement was quite messy.

Another performance where the elements were strong but the program seemed to be incidental. Not a lot of relation to the music and not much happening in between the elements. And again, the posing. Which is a shame because Amodio's basics are very strong. He has deep, smooth edges, quite a lot of speed and nice posture and lines. He can be very expressive as well. Unfortunately, Morozov keeps giving him terrible choreography. I guess you can't really blame him given the judges don't care. It means it's easier for him to land the jumps.

He has improved his personal best by almost 8 points.

It's weird how Pechalat/Bourzat had to leave Zhulin and some other international skaters had to stop training in Russia as well but Morozov is still allowed to train a skater who is a potential threat to Russian men.

I would really love to. But I should have thought about it before pissing off pretty much every single important person in the Polish fed with rather outspoken and bitchy reports (I try to be a bit less agressive and a bit more constructive nowadays) and numerous criticisms. :P

I would really love to. But I should have thought about it before pissing off pretty much every single important person in the Polish fed with rather outspoken and bitchy reports (I try to be a bit less agressive and a bit more constructive nowadays) and numerous criticisms. :P

Come back and be a Judge for us Ziggy!

Keep on hammering the Judges for blindly dishing out higher PCS scores depending on jumps landed.

You're a true Skating lover and longtime enthusiast, any Fed the world over should be grateful to have you.

Another strong event. It's been a great European Championships so far with the level of skating high and no splatfests yet (that will be provided by the Ladiezzz I guess ).

Some very nice improvement from a number of teams. Berton/Hotarek and James/Cipres are now (rightfully) perceived by the judges as belonging to the top couples. Kavaguchi/Smirnov on the other hand are being retired it seems. Although they did make numerous mistakes in both programs, maybe the judges would have looked at them very differently had they skated clean?

Volosozhar/Trankov were not able to replicate their extremely strong short program performance and were a little tentative today. Savchenko/Szolkowy have made some costly errors but as usually has been the case in the past, they've shown an extremely complex (although a little introverted) program that unfortunately did not get rewarded appropriately on the PCS. I have never seen any other pair team coming anywhere near them, as far as complexity of choreography and transitions goes.

2twist [0]
2flip  she stepped out with hand down [-3]
press lift to one hand to change of position to one hand and one foot carry to difficult dismount  laboured [-1]
throw 2loop  poor flow out [-1]
2flip/2toe(she singled) [-2]
camel/up Y/change sit to pancake  poor-synch throughout [-2]
a nice highlight: spread eagle and spiral
lasso lift aborted on take-off [no value]
choreographic sequence: front spirals [0]
back spiral into throw 2flip [1]
toe lasso to one hand hold and dismount  looked like it was also going to be aborted at the start but he fought hard and managed to see it through until the end [-1]
spread eagle and catch spiral into bids  slow, position not great [-1]
to pair combination spin  slow [-1]

They lacked attack and expression but the choreography wasn't bad and they've shown some nice lines.

axel lasso to one hand hold and dismount  two-footed [-1]
dance lift to 2twist  poor height, catch not very strong [-1]
throw 2salchow [0]  mean to be a triple but she opened up early
spiral to press lift to change of position to one hand to difficult dismount  laboured, two-footed [-2]
2axel  she underrotated, landings quite weak [-2]
spread eagle and catchfoot spiral into bids [0]
choreographic sequence: back catch to spread eagle and front split  nice positions [1]
transitions to throw 2loop  had to abort the landing quite quickly [-1]
camel/sit/up/change up butt out  quite far apart, not a lot of speed, exit off-synch [-1]
pull-through to toe lasso to change of position to difficult dismount  once they had to change the position, it became a real struggle and they had to fight until the end [-2]
2flip/2toe/2toe(she didn't execute the last toe) [-2]
pair combination spin  slow [-1]

Whilst on the technical side, there were many of shortcomings, the program was well choreographed, featured a number of interesting highlights and reflected the character of the music quite well.

3twist  incredible height, solid catch [2]
3toe into 2toe  solid [1]
star lift to change of position  strong, flowed well [1]
2axel  landed but telegraphed and a little off-synch [-1]
throw 3loop  clean but over the toe on the landing [0]
flying camel/sit/up Y/change sit holding foot to cannonball/up  a little off-synch at the start but quickly got back into it [0]
choreographic sequence: front basic / front Y [0]
throw 3salchow  very high but overrotated (they overcooked it) [-2]
axel lasso to one hand  ok but looked like hard work [0]
salchow lasso to one hand to change of position(lost balance and had to abort early) [-2]
Y spiral into fids with change of hold [0]
to pair combination spin  slow [-1]

The program featured a few interesting highlight moves but other than that they just skated from one element into another and didn't really respond to the music. They had quite a lot of speed though and seemed in the zone tonight, showing a lot of power and attack. Shame about the silly mistake on the lift at the end because the program has been going really well until then.

Another well choreographed program featuring an unusual, difficult element layout, with three jumping passes towards the end of their routine. They cut a really nice pattern over the ice, had some interesting connecting movements and showed quite a lot of character. Although having said that, again they could have pushed the expression more and sell the program better.

3toe(weak landing from him) into 3toe [0]
nice dance lift and spread eagle + spiral
2axel  she singled, poor landing from him that eventually became a fall [-3]
dance lift to 3twist  crash [-2]
shoot-the-duck into bids  quite weak position from her [0]
camel/sit/up var/change up L  well synchronised [1]
choreographic sequence: spread eagles / charlotte and front spiral [1]
backwards lasso to one hand hold and dismount [0]
throw 3salchow  two-footed [-2]
throw 3loop  step out, good distance covered but quite a long entry [-2]
star lift to one hand to change of position to spread eagle dismount  strong [1]
spread eagle to axel lasso to one hand to change of position to carry to one foot  laboured [-1]
to pair combination spin  quite good rotation speed [1]

The program featured a lot of detailed movement (both upper body and transitions) at the beginning, presented beautifully. The problem, however is that whilst it started really well, in the second half it was just throws and lifts crammed together to maximise the points, without anything else going on. So the choreography wasn't balanced at all.

2twist  high and solid [1]
3toe(he stepped out)/2toe(off-synch since he did his after the step out  and it won't count anyway since his free foot touched down) [-3]
3salchow  she doubled, he stepped out [-3]
throw 3loop  fall [-3]
transitions into flying camel/sit/up/change sit broken leg [0]
choreographic sequence: spread eagle and front spiral, a dance lift, front spiral [0]
backwards lasso to one hand hold and dismount  a little heavy, two-footed [-1]
axel lasso  aborted on take off (so no value)
shoot-the-duck into fids  decent position and rotation speed [1]
dance lift to star lift to one hand to carry to difficult dismount [0]
throw 2salchow [-1]  meant to be a triple obviously, but she opened up early, not a lot of flow out
back catchfoot spiral into pair combination spin in both directions  well extended positions from her [1]

The program seemed quite well choreographed although it's hard to say much about it after a performance like this. It kept going downhill and it looked like they were just giving up more as it went on.

She's flexible and hit some lovely positions, his posture and lines on the other hand leave quite a lot to be desired.

3twist  high but late catch, heavily two-footed by him [-2]
3salchow [0]
3toe(weak landing from her)/2toe(she had no flow out at all and was standing still and didn't even manage to eek out a single toe) [-3]
flying camel to up var to var/change sit broken leg  well synchronised [1]
spirals to fids with change of hold  decent position [1]
spread eagle to axel lasso to one hand to difficult dismount  solid [1]
transitions towards throw 3flip  very slightly shaky on landing but held it solidly with a nice extension [1]
transitions towards throw 3salchow  slightly over the toe, not a lot of flow out [0]
choreographic sequence: front spirals [0]
backwards lasso lift to one hand hold and dismount  a little slow, two-footed [-1]
pair combination spin  decent positions and rotation speed [1]
dance lift to star lift to one hand to spread eagle carry  very impressive entry, strong throughout [2]
finished a little behind the music

Good speed and nice postures and lines but the choroegraphy was quite generic. Not a lot happened in between the elements. They did skate with a lot of power though.

They've really come far since last season and it now looks like the judges are regarding them as one of the top teams.

3toe/2toe/2toe  solid [1]
3salchow  she underrotated slightly and fell [-3]
3twist  late catch, two-footed [-2]
reverse lasso lift to change of position to carry back to rotation to difficult dismount [1]
transitions to fids  decent position [1]
to pair combination spin  could use a little more speed [0]
axel lasso to one hand [1]
choreographic sequence: lots of footwork and some front spirals [1]
throw 3loop  they had a slight stutter going into it and I thought she wouldn't land it but although the landing was a little weak, she hung on to it [-1]
throw 3salchow  poor flow out [-1]
press lift to change of position and one hand to change of position [0]
steps to flying camel/up var/change sit holding foot to cannonball  synch a little off [-1]

A nicely choreographed program which had a lot of character and expression. They are unique amongst the pair teams is that parts of their routines look more like ice dance than pair skating. They actually dance to the music.

The first bronze medal for Italy in pairs and very well deserved as well.14. Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov /RUS/
Violin Muse by Ikuko Kawai, based on Partita for Violin No. 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach and Chaconne by Tomaso Vitali

3twist  very high but slightly two-footed by him [1]
3salchow  slightly weak landing from him [0]
3toe/2toe  his landings not very strong [0]
Y spiral into fids with change of hold  very nice position from her [1]
flying camel/sit/up/change camel/sit/up Y  lost the synch a little bit after change of foot but regained it quickly, rotation speed could have been better [0]
throw 3loop  over the toe, both hands down, really high but no control over the landing (overcooked it) [-2]
reverse lasso to change of position  a little heavy [0]
backwards lasso lift into one hand hold and dismount [1]
choreographic sequence: mirrored front spirals, spread eagles  good speed, flow and ice coverage [2]
throw 3salchow  high but a little off-axis in the air, two-footed [-2]
flip up entry into lift to carry to change of position and difficult dismount [1]
to pair combination spin  slow at the end rotating clockwise [0]

Whilst their short program was effortless and near perfect, this performance looked like hard work throughout. Elements were not very strong.

Big question mark over the choreography. It was quite basic, there was a lack of transitions and they just seemed to skate through the music which wasn't much more than background noise.

There is no doubt that they are technically extremely capable and they have good basics but I can't understand how this program could have received 9s for choreography or transitions.

Yet another excellent event. Even the Ladiezzz who often have been the weakest event at the European Championships did not dissapoint. I don't remember ever seeing the level of skating at Euros this high.

Last year, you needed 38.14 points in order to qualify to the free skating (that was the score of Romy Bόhler who placed 24th in the SP). This year the level was much higher. Thirty skaters achieved a score over 40 points and you really wished they could all make it into the free skating. Unfortunately, some skaters who gave strong performances had to find themselves out. For example, Alina Fjodorova landed 3flip/2toe, 3salchow and 2axel but could only place 26th.

Gilleron-Gorry burst onto the international scene with a strong and confident performance. But mostly it's the lower placed skaters who have delivered the best performances, in my opinion. Maxwell, Madsen and Saygi have all exceeded expectations and showed very strong routines. A special mention goes to Michelle Couwenberg who had a disaster on the jumps but who moves beautifully and is possibly the most elegant skater I have ever seen.

Obligatory complaint about judging:
As usual skating later resulted in higher PCS, which was really unfair to the skaters who skated early, some of whom delivered fantastic performances. I should probably stop repeating that after every second performance but OH WELL. :P

What I said after Pairs Free Skating  the judges don't seem to use the whole range of GOE not only to reward good quality but also to penalise poor quality of execution.

One frustrating tendency that you can observe is performing a biellmann position on the layback almost always resulting in positive GOE regardless of how that spin is actually performed. And I'd much rather see fast and centred simple layback spins than laboured biellmanns.

Another frustrating tendency is giving positive GOE to triple-triple combinations even if they are not performed particularly well. The judges seem to have trouble differentiating between the difficulty of the element and the quality of its execution. Those are two completely different things.

But overall, I am positively surprised again. The placements seem OK for the most part and many judges even noticed things like lack of steps or cheated (less than 1/4) jumps, which almost never happens. So well done, everyone!

She skated to the music quite well and her overall skating ability was not bad for a skater competing first. Speed wasn't bad although she needed quite a lot of (short and choppy) cross-overs to maintain it and most entries into her elements were quite long. Choreography was quite basic.

A strong spinner. Very flexible and capable of hitting beautiful positions on her elements. I wish she would show them in between as well. Her movements could have been stronger and better extended. It all looked a little cautious and I wished she pushed the expression a a bit more.

This was a very decent effort and she was really unlucky to miss the cut for the free skating. It would have easily qualified in most years.

3lutz [-3]  cheated over a quarter, landing not very strong, hardly any steps and then a big break before the jump
3toe/turn/2toe [-2]  shame about the turn in between because the toe landing could have been saved
2axel  over the toe on the landing [-1]
flying camel coe to donut to upward catch  good positions and rotation speed [1]
straight line step sequence  could use more flow [0]
sideways to layback to biellmann  very nice extension [1]
camel to illusion/sit/up/change camel/sit cannonball(not extended well)/up  a little slow [-1]

Much more speed and power in comparison to the skaters who came before her. You could see her skating is at a different level (this is the first group though, mind you).

She lacked expression however and the choroegraphy was generic. She really needs to develop some kind of style and sell her programs better.

2axel into a fan kick  solid, right at the start of the program with a short entry [1]
3toe  underrotated slightly, fall [-3]
3salchow  hand down, very long gap after steps [-3]
flying sit spin  popped the take-off, landed on two feet and just stood in place (no value)
camel/sit/up Y to up/change camel/sit leg behind/up butt out(poor extension) to up  slow after change of foot [-1]
sideways to layback with speed increase to catch  rotation speed quite good but extension lacking [0]
straight line step sequence [0]

Her basics aren't strong but the program had quite a lot of character and there was a good amount of upper body movement throughout.

3flip  high and solid but a gap after steps (and she only did two) [0]
3lutz/2toe  high but not very controlled [0]
layback to sideways catch to biellmann  good flow and decent rotation speed [1]
flying camel coe to donut to upward catch  good rotation speed [1]
2axel  turnout [-1]
circular step sequence  good speed and attack, quite pronounced edges [1]
to camel/sit cannonball/change sit broken leg/up var to up  quite good positions and rotation speed [1]

A strong, confident performance. She skated with quite a lot of power and her movement was very composed. Choreography was a little generic and there wasn't a lot of upper body movement or transitions but she sold what she had well.

3loop/2toe  secure, with room to spare [1]
three-turns into 3salchow  solid [1]
sideways to layback catch(fast) to biellmann(wobbled) [0]
2axel [0]
flying camel coe to donut to upward catch  could use a little more speed [0]
straight line step sequence [1]  quite precise and skated to the music well, could use a little more flow though
camel/up L/change sit holding foot to broken leg/up  quite good rotation speed [1]

The choreography wasn't particularly original or exciting but she skated to the music very well, catching most of the highlights. She didn't hold back at all and sold the program quite well, although he skating is a little introverted, I'd like her to look up and out to the audience more.

Great OTT reaction from her team behind the boards and in the K&C. She's beaten her personal best by around 8 points!

3salchow/2toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
three turns towards 3loop  gap after footwork [-1]
flying camel to upside twist to upward catch coe [0]
2axel  hardly any flow out [-1]
straight line step sequence [0]  edges a little shallow, not a lot of flow, skated to the music quite well though and had quite busy upper body movement
sideways to layback to catch  extension not great but rotation speed not bad [0]
camel/up Y to up/change sit holding foot to forward tuck [0]

The music maintained a fast tempo throughout but she kept up and skated to it quite well. I wish her movements were extended a little better, though. They looked a bit messy. Basic skating could use some work, she wasn't getting a lot of glide.

Either I am confusing her with her twin sister or she's lost a lot of weight since last season.

Another strong and confident performance. Element layout wasn't bad and whilst the program was a little dull at the beginning, it really picked up towards the end. I loved how she seemed to have even more energy and attack as the program went on. The ending was the best part.

Kutay Eryoldas had pretty terrible jump technique but he always had interesting programs. Saygi's jumps aren't bad and her coach seems to be able to pass the voidiness on to his student.

3salchow(solid)/2toe(rushed a little, poor flow out) [0]
three-turns to 3toe  solid [1]
biellmann spiral towards 2axel into biellmann spiral  underrotated, not a lot of height and distance covered [-1]
flying camel coe to donut to upward catch  very good positions [1]
camel/sit var(very good position)/ jump to change up Y  very good positions, decent rotation speed [1]
straight line step sequence  great upper body movement but could use some more speed [0]
sideways to layback catch to biellmann  very good positions, could use a little more speed though [1]

Beautiful posture, lines and extensions throughout. Very elegant. Good flow from start to finish and she seemed to skate with more speed than what I remember from her.

Why a muzak version of U2 though?!! It's like double the pain.

Her axel technique is still terrible I'm afraid, she really stalks it and jumps on the spot.

A fantastic job on the jumps all of which had very strong landings but the other elements weren't that strong, unfortunately. Her movement was quite composed but expression was lacking. The program could have used some light and shade.

Competing after the ice-resurfacing has really helped her marks, she was definitely overmarked on the PCS in comparison to some of the skaters who skated earlier.

She's improved her personal best by over 12 points.

KVDP sighting in the audience. Vera Vandecaye has dyed her hair dark brown and it's not a good look for her.

In stark contrast to Couwenberg, Januleviciute is a skater who can jump (although the triples did not work for her today) but everything else is really lacking. She was slow and her movements were stiff and tentative. Posture (stiff and raised shoulders) and lines were poor.

Kudos to her for landing all her jumps in the short, at her first European Championships, but her elements weren't of very high quality. She gets little elevation on her jumps and the performance lacked expression and attack.

She's a decent jumper but her basics are very poor. Shallow edges, bad posture and quite clunky movements. Up until the circular steps (where she's finally shown some expression), she just skated totally through the music.

This season has been a disaster for her so far and she's finally managed to turn it around. She has improved her personal best by 0.50 points and this performance would easily be enough to qualify to the free program most year. The level has been exceptionally high this time, however. I do feel for her because she's really done her best.

3flip  solid but a long break after steps [-1]
3loop/2toe  solid [1]
flying camel coe to donut to upward catch(took her a while to get into the position) [-1] - extension and rotation speed subpar
spread eagle into 2axel [1]
layback to catch to biellmann  good flow [1]
straight line step sequence  could use more speed and attack [0]
camel/sit/up Y/change sit to forward tuck  decent rotation speed [1]

Decent flow and a lot of arm movements throughout but performed in the going through the motions and sorry I am alive style. Expression was lacking and she skated with her usual blank and disinterested facial expression. If you're competing at the European Championships, at least show that you want to be here. Jesus Christ. Choreography was quite generic.

Still, she has skated to the best of her ability and has improved her personal best by over a point.

Not a lot of relation to the music. There were some movements to the accents but other than that she seemed to mostly skate through it. She's light over the ice and has quite good posture and lines but she's another skater that I would like to see spice up their performance ability.

She is blonde and Finnish and the SWP bonus is evidently getting applied. ;P

There was quite a lot of upper body movement throughout and she was clearly making effort on presenting the program but it seemed quite random and chaotic and I don't really see how it was meant to relate to the music.

three-turns into 3loop  effortless, very solid with good flow out [2]
3toe(not a lot of flow out)/3toe(fell) [-3] (she landed a perfect one in the warm-up but here she just didn't have enough speed coming out of the first jump)
transitions to scratch butterflies to flying camel upward twist coe to catch  positions could be better extended and she could use some more speed [0]
2axel  solid, soft landing with a lovely extension but entry telegraphed [1]
to circular step sequence  skated to the music well, smooth edges, could use some more speed though [1]
camel to illusion/up/change sit cannonball/up L [1]
layback to sideways to catch  a little slow [0]

3flutz  fall [-3]
3toe/3toe(slightly underrotated) - not a lot of flow out [-1]
2axel [1]  solid with transitions coming in and out
flying sit to pancake to forward tuck(off-centred slightly)  decent rotation speed [0]
sideways to layback catch  could use a little more extension but good rotation speed [1]
straight line step sequence  could use more speed and flow [0]
camel to catch/up/change sit broken leg/up L to up [1]

The program featured some nice transitions and she presented it well but the choreography was rather generic and lacked highlights.

3toe/3toe  not a great deal of speed out and slight hesitation between the two jumps but clean [0]
3flip  solid [1]
scratch butterflies into flying camel to catch to upside twist  good positions and rotation speed [2]
2axel  solid, entry a little telegraphed tough [1]
sideways to layback catch to biellmann [1]
straight line step sequence  good character and attack [1]
camel to illusion/sit holding foot/jump to change sit/up Y  good positions and rotation speed [2]

All the elements were executed to a very high standard. As for the program, whilst it did feature some movements performed to the music throughout, she didn't really push the expression until the step sequence towards the end.

The problem I have with Adelina is that she doesn't seem to have any kind of style. She can move to the music but I don't feel that she is connecting with it and usually her range of movement doesn't really express the character of her music very well. Which is the problem I had with this program as well. If you turned the music off, you'd never guess what kind of music she was skating to.

This program seems to have improved since GP. What struck me back then is that whilst the music was longato, her movement was staccato and it was really jarring. Here her movement was softer and more pronounced and it fitted the character of the music better.

Having said that this was a very weak performance, I'm afraid. After the mistakes on the two opening jumping passes, she just seemed to have given up, did not sell the program well and the other elements were a little weak as well.

She seemed a little tense and tentative and this was far from her best, I'm afraid. Elements weren't particularly strong and whilst the choreography has quite a lot of character and can work if she really sells it, expression was slightly lacking as well.

It's frustrating because a clean performance would most likely put her in the lead.

I am not sure this is the best music choice for her. She is not very elegant, her posture is poor, her skating is quite heavy and laboured and a slightly languid piece only accentuates those flaws. She should be skating to something more upbeat (watch this season's Joshi Helgesson's programs and take notes, basically).

I tried hard but I wasn't really able to find anything positive to say about this performance PCS-wise. I think that skating so late has really helped her on the second mark. I mean she received over one point more on the PCS than Gosviani, for example, which is quite ridiculous.

steps to back spiral to 3lutz with arm above  high and solid, very slight break after connecting movements though [1]
3salchow/2toe with arm above(step out) [-1]
camel/up Y/change sit holding foot to forward tuck/up [0]
steps towards 2axel  solid [1]
flying camel to catch to donut to upward catch  decent flow and positions [1]
to turns to layback to catch to biellmann  layback extension weak [0]
straight line step sequence  good upper body movement, well choreographed but could use some more speed and flow [0]

She used to have the same problem as Meite. Basics not great, back quite stiff, not very elegant. But this season, she was given two original, kooky programs that capture your interest, contain highlights throughout and take your attention away from her flaws. Catarina Lindgren did a really great job.

A decent performance, although I wished she pushed the expression even more.

Contrary to her sister, I am not sure this music worked particularly well for her. She is quite elegant and together with her good flow, this lends itself perfectly to classical or soundtrack longato music. This piece had a strong (although not fast) rhythm throughout and I don't feel she was able to intepret it as well.

Tons of expression and attack throughout. Whether the jumps work or not (and here they did ), she always skates with a real fire and sells her routines very well. She was very fast and the program had quite a lot of character.

A new personal best. She looked absolutely shell-shocked and broke into tears upon seeing her scores. She has improved her PB by almost 3 points.

I don't understand why Nina Petrenko is making her skate classical programs. She actually moved her arms well throughout, extending them nicely but her posture is poor, she has a very stiff back and she lacks speed. So this kind of music just doesn't work very well for her (but then maybe she doesn't have a sense of rhythm either so there's no better alternative :P).

Personally, I don't think this should have qualified. She got really overmarked on the PCS due to skating so late.

An underwhelming program. It was open and they mostly skated from one element into another without a lot of connection to the music (which was quite dull and lacked highlights and light and shade so I don't understand why they've chosen it in the first place).

The program was quite open and the choreography wasn't balanced at all with all lifts crammed together at the start and both step sequences one after the other at the end. Their postures and lines aren't great and the elements weren't particularly well executed either. Connection to the music was very questionable.

They have skated a strong short dance but this was very underwhelming. I really don't see how this deserved clearly highest PCS so far.

stationary lift with her lying low and him on top of her  extension not bad but they barely did half a turn slowly, I don't see the point [-2]
circular step sequence  edges a little shallow [0]
twizzles: arm above and catch into arms folded clockwise(she struggled) into sit spin twizzles [0]
spread eagle straight line lift with her upside down [1]
midline step sequence  better edges and more glide this time [1]
scratch butterflies into pair spin  quite good positions [1]
spread eagle curve lift with her laying back [1]
rotational lift with changes of position  a little insecure [-1]
cantilever choreographic lift  impressive [2]

The second part of the program was quite fun, upbeat and featured a fair amount of closed holds and connecting footwork. But the initial part (most of their routine) was skated to quite repetitive music without light and shade and not much happened between the elements.

They did make the best of what they had though. Very expressive as usual.

sit straight line lift [1]
midline step sequence  decent edges and flow but they could use a little more speed [1]
rotational lift with changes of position  very fast and solid [2]
twizzles: arm above and catch(exit a lotto off-synch) into clockwise arms behind(she wobbled slightly) into arms folded(hers a little bit weak again) [-1]
backwards curve lift with changes of position  a little insecure [-1]
circular step sequence  quite deep edges, could use a little more speed though [0]
pair change combination spin  decent positions and rotation speed(fast before change of foot, a little slower afterwards) [1]
rotational lift with her between his legs in catchfoot [1]
a similar choreographic lift to finish [1]

Whilst I am all for skaters using contemporary music (we don't see enough of it), the problem here was that the music had a fast and strong beat and they seemed to struggle to keep up with it. The program was quite open and fell short on the voids front. They had really funky music and could have done more with it. Good job on the elements though. Twizzles were a little off but everything else was well executed.

twizzles: arm above and catch into clockwise arms in front  quite fast, solid and very well synchronised [2]
spread eagle straight line lift with her on his boot in a split into rotational lift  strong, secure, flowed well [2]
circular step sequence  decent flow, good attack [1]
pair change combination spin  decent positions and rotation speed [1]
diagonal step sequence  could use some more speed and flow [0]
spread eagle curve lift with her on his boots and lying back  strong [1]
catchfoot rotational lift  could use a little more speed [0]
choreographic rotational lift to finish the program  quite laboured [1]

Tons of attack and power from start to finish. They really gave it their 110% and the program had no empty spots, there was conecting footwork and upper body movement throughout, maintaining your interest. Strong technical elements, as well.

They've proven that the short dance performance was no fluke. Simply incredible improvement since last season. It's like they were abducted by aliens and replaced by androids.

pair spin  good positions, very fast rotation [2]
diagonal step sequence  edges quite deep but could use some more speed [0]
twizzles: arm folded in front and catch(she rotated a little slower) into arms folded in front clockwise(he wobbled slightly on first revolution) into arms on hips (a tiny bit off-synch) [-1]
spread eagle curve lift with her in layback into rotational lift  good positions, solid [2]
circular step sequence [0]
flip up entry into one foot straight line lift with her on his back [0]  entry a little hesitant, positions not particularly well extended
rotational lift holding her on the hips [1]
choreographic lift to finish [0]

They skated very close together and there were a lot of closed holds throughout. It was undoubtedly a very complex routine but it lacked higlights and could have used more expression. It wasn't a particularly fiery tango. In fact, if you turned the music off, you probably wouldn't be able to guess what they were skating to.

twizzles: arm above and catch into clockwise arms on hips  fast and secure, synch a tiny bit off in places [1]
sit straight line lift with her on his boot in biellmann  fast and secure, positions very well extended [2]
diagonal step sequence  he fell towards the end and it took him a while to get up so they missed the last part [-3]
one arm reverse rotational lift  strong although lost some speed after rotation direction change [1]
circular step sequence  a little hesitant (probably because of the fall) [0]
pair change combination spin [0]  decent positions and rotation speed to begin with but quite slow after change of foot
split rotational lift  solid [1]
catchfoot rotational lift with her around his neck  fast, secure [1]

Detailed choreography. A lot of upper body movement and footwork in between the elements. They've finally shown some expression too and connected to the music well. A big improvement over their last season's FD.

kneeling and moving their arms at the start  a nod to Torvill and Dean?
twizzles: arm above and catch(tiny bit off-synch) into walk like an egyptian clockwise(a tiny bitt off-synch again) into arms folded  not a lot of speed [-1]
spread eagle straight line lift with her upside down into rotational lift with changes of position  very strong [2]
midline step sequence [0]
one foot curve lift with changes of position [1]
circular step sequence  quite smooth, decent glide [1]
pair change combination spin  could use some more speed [0]
one arm rotational lift going up and down  really strong and impressive [2]
fantastic choreographic lift with changes of position to finish [3]

Lots of attack and character throughout. Very good speed.

My 'speed skaters on crack' reservations remain. The program was very open again and there were hardly any dance holds. But there's no denying they have sold this program extremely well.

spread eagle straight line lift with changes of position  fast, quite effortless [2]
diagonal step sequence  deep edges, decent flow, could use a little more speed [1]
he stumbled just before entering twizzles: arm above and catch into clockwise arms behind(he struggled and fell out in the end) into arms folded (he struggled) [-2]
rotational lift with changes of position  very strong [2]
hydroblade curve lift with her standing on his boot in biellmann  a little slow [0]
arabesques into change combination spin  a little slow at the start but picked up speed after change of foot, nice positions [1]
circular step sequence  decent speed and flow [1]
kneel straight line lift with her standing on his boot [1]
choreograhic lift to finish  not extended well [-1]

Good attack and expression, they seemed to really feel the music and connected with it well.

He took a big stumble just before entering the twizzles and it must have made him lose his focus and then the mistakes creeped in.

Fantastic character and expression. A really quirky, original, fun routine that stood out from the crowd. Having said that, this isn't show skating. It's competition. The program was really fun to watch but there was a lot of posing throughout. They didn't seem to be able to carry the theme across through actual skating. And elements did not work very well for them tonight.

Whilst all of their competitors in this warm-up group showed routines which contained some original choreography or interesting concepts and captured your attention, this program looked mediocre and dated. They was nothing imaginative or unusual about this routine. There were a few connecting mitf movements (although not executed particularly well) but the program was mostly open and it lacked style and character.

The technical elements were not executed to a particuarly high standard. No major mistakes but nothing particularly outstanding either.

Why was Marika wearing a black hat and an thick down coat in the kiss and cry? Was she about to go for a walk in the forest?

swung around entry into catchfoot rotational lift  fast and solid [2]
waltz jump to twizzles: arms folded in front into clockwise arm above  could use a little more speed but clean [1]
circular step sequence  deep edges, good flow [2]
footwork into pair change comabination spin  could use a little more speed [0]
sit straight line lift  solid [1]
spread eagle curve lift with her upside down  a little heavy, not a lot of speed [0]
diagonal step sequence  the execution was ok but timing was totally off, music was racing like mad and they were moving very slowly in comparison [0]
one arm rotational lift [1]
choreographic lift to finish [1]

They've shown very strong basic skating, with deep and clean edges. Expression is something that was often lacking from them in the past but here both of them played their roles extremely well. They seemed a little tentative, however, and their elements weren't executed as well as they are capable of.

Insanity of a loved one that takes you over as well, in the end is a very daring and risky concept (not exactly uplifting, is it ;P). But whilst the idea is extremely interesting, I am not sure about the execution. The program had some good, memorable moments but it was quite open and overall, not a lot happened in between the elements. I wish the choreography was more detailed.

The Tosca bit at the end hasn't been integrated into the program well. It just looked tacked on without much thought given into it and even the music cut was quite abrupt (thanks Tatiana but you can retire now). It is particularly jarring on the step sequence where the music has a very fast tempo and it's very apparent they aren't moving in-time to it.

catchfoot rotational lift [1]
nice entry into pair change combination spin  decent positions but could use some more speed [0]
circular step sequence [-3]  both fell at one point (she only fell down on her knee so should get only one point deducted), a real shame because it flowed beautifully and edges were strong
twizzles: arm above and catch into clockwise arm above  well synchronised, could use a little more speed [1]
straight line kneel lift with her upside down  secure [1]
one foot curve lift with her standing between his legs [1]
diagonal step sequence  decent edges and flow but could use some more speed [1]
one arm rotational lift [0]
a really fun impressive choreographic lift with her hanging down with his head between her boots [2]

Good speed, great attack and expression throughout, even after the double fall. Both the slow parts (where they've shown languid movement and nice flow) and the faster fun parts worked well although some more variation in the choreography would have been good.

It's amusing how six of the judges gave them a -2 for the circular step sequence. It was very high quality other than the fall but both of them fell which is a -6 deduction so...

twizzles: arm folded in front and catch into clockwise into arms above  fast and well synchronised [2]
one foot curve lift with changes of position  fast, good flow, effortless [2]
pair change combination spin  good positions and rotation speed (although a little slow at the very end) [2]
circular step sequence - very good ice coverage, quite deep edges and good flow [2]
kneel straight line lift with her lying on his knee  good speed, solid [2]
rotational lift with changes of position  fast and effortless [2]
diagonal step sequence  good speed and flow, strong edges [2]
catchfoot rotational lift  fast and solid [2]
choreographic lift with changes of position to finish [1]

Stunning smooth basic skating, a lot of speed throughout. Fantastic quality on all of their technical elements.

As far as TES is concerned, this should be heads and shoulders above anybody else. As far as PCS go, they were fast, they had good flow and they showed a lot of expression. But the program was very basic. They skated far apart, in open holds (or apart), the connecting footwork was simple and there were a lot of cross-overs and progressives. They deserve much better than this.

Their basic skating isn't as strong as I/K's and B/S'. It's quite smooth but their edges are rather shallow and they aren't generating as much speed. However this was definitely the most complex out of the top three programs, as far as choreography and transitions go. A lot of closed holds, rich and detailed movement in between the elements. Their expression was quite sophisticated, albeit a bit muted. They should have projected more and shown that they really want that gold medal. But it did look a little like they gave up from the start.

Technically, this was well skated. They didn't make any noticable errors. But their elements weren't as strong and effortless as I/K's. The judges have them lower GOE than to I/K but higher than to B/S and that was definitely right (it's the levels that were the reason for C/L getting highest TES).

All of the elements were quite strong, a good, clean performance from them. The choreography was quite generic and repetitive, however. The program lacked interesting highlights and didn't have light and shade. They didn't push the expression enough either (which is surprising given their OTT performances of the past).

Another event where the skating was of a very high standard. This definitely is the best European Championships I can remember.

Too many good performances to mention (the top 6 were all excellent) but a special award goes once again to Viktor Pfeifer who has shown an elegant, beautifully presented program and interesting spins to deservedly place in the top 10, despite not having a triple axel. Another special mention goes to Javier Raya. The jumps did not work very well for him this afternoon but he showed an interesting program and an ability to use his whole body to express the music (something you sadly don't get to see very often, it's a miracle if a skater can bother to move his arms even ;P).

Obligatory judging rant. :P

There were 22 skaters with different strengths and weaknesses. Some had programs which were well constructed, some not so much. The combinations of the different PCS abilities can be endless yet time and time again we see the judges giving out what essentially is a single mark with a little bit of variation. And that mark seems to be heavily dependent on the starting order, reputation and what jumps the skater did or didn't land. But it's the TES which rewards jumping ability, PCS is supposed reflect different skills.

To try to give an example: Tomas Verner has soft and light basic skating but he seemed to have given up on presenting his program right from the start (after the first few mistakes creeped in). So whilst he definitely deserves 7+ on the SS, I'd probably have given him something like 4.75 for PE. Now I am not saying that this necessarily is the right thing to do but I wish the judges had the courage to differentiate the marks this way.

Split judging panels would definitely help. I think that it's impossible to focus properly both on all of the elements and on what is happening between them. There's always going to be a lot that you miss. I know that it's the costly solution but if instead of having 9 judges with 2 marks being thrown out, they'd have 4+4 or 5+5 with all marks being considered (which brings more correct results statistically anyway), then the costs would remain the same.

The PE mark needs a particular mention because I often get an impression that the way the judges apply it is how successful a performance has been jumping-wise. But that's totally not what that is about. This component is supposed to reward performance ability, posture and lines and moving in a way which reflects the character of the music. You can land all of your jumps very well but if you're skating from one element into another with arms hanging down whilst being hunched, you're not meeting the criteria.

long entry to 3axel/turn/2toe [-2]
3lutz  heavy step-out [-3]
3flip  very high but landing not very controlled [0]
3salchow/2toe(not a lot of flow out)/2toe  short entry [0]
up L/change up butt out to up  slow [-1]
circular step sequence  decent flow, very good expression [1]
to 3toe  solid [1]
3axel  underrotated over a quarter, fall [-3]
3toe(landing not very strong)/2toe [0]
steps to 2axel  high and solid [1]
to camel coe/sit to broken leg/change sit arms behind/up  rotation speed not bad but a little off-centred [0]
flying sit/jump to to to forward tuck  could use a little more speed [0]
choreographic straight line step sequence [0]

Quite good flow throughout and great expression, as usual. He's a real showman. Just like the short program, I wish that this free played to his strengths a little better and cointained some more entertaining movements.

He gets a lot of height on his jumps but seems to find it hard to control them.

3lutz/3toe  high and solid [1]
2axel  over the toe [-1]
3lip  high and solid but clear change of edge on take-off [-1]
flying sit broken leg [0]
steps to 3salchow  not a lot of flow out [0]
circular step sequence  edges not very pronounced [0]
3loop/2toe [1]
3lutz/2toe/2toe(foot down)  strong until the last toe, he just rushed it [-1]
3loop  underrotated over a quarter, weak landing, no flow out [-3]
choreographic sequence  good speed and flow [1]
to spread eagle to 2axel  over the toe [0]
flying camel to upside twist/up L/change sit coe to cannonball [0]
camel/jump to sit/change up cannonball/sit forward tuck/up [0]

He skated with a lot of speed and power in comparison to Atanassov and Strid. Decent choreography, the program flowed well, there were a few transitions here and there and his movement reflected the character of the music quite well.

His posture really needs work though (he skated with visibly rounded shoulders) and it would make a big difference if he pushed the expression more.

Upper body movement was lacking, he mainly skated from one element into another looking a bit like a deer in the headlights. Needs more power in his skating and more confidence with presenting his programs.

Fantastic job on the jumps but everything else was lacking, I'm afraid. He has weak basic skating (more akin to walking than skating), he lacked speed and his ice coverage was very poor. He also lacked expression, didn't seem to pay attention to the music and his movements weren't extended properly. Choreography was very basic, with most of the jumps were performed in the same spots.

Now this is a perfect example where a skater deserves a very high TES but should get totally hammered on the PCS.

3lutz(good height)/3toe(slightly over the toe)  slight hesitation between the two jumps [0]
circular step sequence [0]  could use more speed and flow
2loop  a little weak [0]
flying sit(camel position in the air)/jump to sit side twist  off-centred a little [-1]
3lutz  high and solid [1]
camel/sit/up var to up/change camel/sit broken leg(off-centred)/up [0]
3flip/2toe/2toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
3flip  solid [1]
camel/jump to camel to upside twist(off-centred)  not a lot of speed [-1]
2axel/2toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
3salchow [0]
2axel [0]
choreographic step sequence [0]

Decent speed. Good element layout with jumps spread throughout in between the steps and spins and a lot of them performed in the second half. He did skate to the music decently enough in the second half but seemed to mostly skate through it at the start and as the beat was very strong and pronounced, it was really apparent.

Skated from one element into another, not paying a lot of attention to the music. His posture and lines aren't bad but he lacks expression and his movements are quite stiff. Some more speed would be good as well.

Smooth and light skating but he seemed to have given up on presenting the program (other than during the choreo sequence) as well as on rotating the jumps. The performance has unsuprisingly fallen very flat.

Is he working with a sport psychologist? Because in recent years, it's always been the same story.

Good job on the jumps. He skated to the music quite well and the choreography was decent enough with busy upper body movement throughout.

All throughout his performance I kept thinking how ridiculous that dangling golden hood looked. When he actually slipped it on at the end, the explosion of ridiculosity has threatened to annihilate our entire galaxy.

Good flow throughout. Great posture, he cut a really elegant figure on the ice. Choreography was quite detailed, there was a lot of upper body movement throughout and he kept paying attention to the music.

Besseghier's basic skating isn't very strong and he has a poor posture (really rounded shoulders) and lines. Definitely not a classically trained skater. Choosing modern, funky, upbeat music was definitely the right move. He's shown some great attack and interpreted the music well at times. There were a lot of moments where he just skated into the elements with arms hanging down but when he was on, it was explosive.

He is really hunched, probably the weakest posture I remember seeing in skating, and his movements are quite wooden and clunky. Basic skating is quite scratchy. He can show great character and expression and that can take the attention away from those flaws, though. But this was a serious program with the music being quite languid and that only accentuated his deficiencies. And the choreography was quite generic and that impressive cantilever aside, lacked interesting movements.

Idora Hegel sighting in the audience. She looks even better than back when she competed!

Very strong basic skating, smooth edges and a lot of speed. Decent attack throughout but the choreography was a little lackluster.

He only had two combinations (the second being +SEQ on the lutz) and no combination consisting of three jumps. He should have added a double toe (or two) to the triple salchow which was landed ok enough.

Lovely choreography. The program was full of character, had a number of connecting movements and flowed beautifully from start to finish. Quite light over the ice. Confident and composed movement throughout.

4salchow  hand down then fell [-3]
3axel  high and good flow out although a little skiddy on the landing [1]
skated around the rink into another 4salchow [0]  not a lot of flow out but held
flying sit holding foot coe to forward tuck [0]
circular step sequence  good speed and flow, busy upper body movement [2]
3axel/3toe  solid [1]
3flip  quite high [1]
3loop  high and solid [1]
3lutz  good height but poor flow out [0]
3salchow/2toe  poor flow out [-1]
camel/jump to sit(off-centred) to pancake/up/change camel/sit/up pancake  slow after change of foot [-2]
choreographic straight line sequence  good speed and energy [1]
sit leg behind/change sit broken leg  a little slow [0]

Good basics, he had a lot of speed and good energy throughout. His basic skating is definitely stronger than Fernandez's but choreography wasn't in the same league. The entries into most of his jumps were very long, especially into both quads which were done on the same spot and where he would need to go all around the rink to set them up.

23. Florent Amodio /FRA/
Jumpin' Jack by Sebastien Damiani
Broken Sorrow by Nuttin' But Stringz arr. by Sebastien Damiani
To Build a Home by Cinematic Orchestra arr. by Sebastien Damani

Beautiful soft and smooth basic skating done on deep edges but the choreography was the typical Morozovian affair with not much that could distract Amodio from the jumps. No interesting movements, hardly any transitions and no character. The music seemed incidental.

It's a real shame because Amodio's basics are very strong and he has shown some great character in his programs in the past (even if only during posing  but here there was no fun posing even :P).

A new total personal best for him. Kudos to him for giving two strong performances. And this program would easily be enough to win under most circumstances but this year, Fernandez was simply exceptional.

Another event skated to an extremely high standard. Yep, definitely the best European Championships ever.

The best performance award has to go to Valentina Marchei who managed to land all of her jumps and showed fantastic performance ability as usual. A lot of spunk and a lot of character. It's incredible how far she has come as a skater, especially given her senile age of 26.

Special mentions to Sonia Lafuente who has given the best performance of her career, earning the 5th highest TES of the night and Kerstin Frank who showed a lot of power and big jumps. Last year she was didn't make it through to the short program, placing 12th in the preliminary round, this year she has obliterated both of her personal bests to place 12th in the actual event.

As an aside, I think I would like to see the ISU mandate that the choreographic sequence should contain at least one spiral held 3 seconds (or 2 seconds at the very least) because we're seeing quite a lot of pseudo-spiral kicks again.

She's a really balletic skater, very elegant posture and beautiful lines throughout. Flow wasn't bad either. The program was very generic, however. She just skated around the ice surface and into the jumps. Hardly anything happened in between the elements.

Her jump technique really needs work. I wish she could go to a strong technical coach and try to rework her jumps because her basics are really lovely.

Just like in the short program, she has made good effort presenting her program despite the problems on the jumps. Quite a lot of upper body movement throughout but her posture and lines aren't great so it looked a little weak.

You gotta feel for Jenna, she's been working at it for so long, which you obviously have to respect but I'm afraid it seems she's starting to enter Fumie Suguri territory now. :/

Her basic skating is weak, she needed a lot of pushes in order to generate speed and was quite slow throughout. There was a fair amount of arm movements throughout but she could have pushed the expression a bit more. She seemed a little tense.

Her jump technique is not very good. She jumps on the spot, not getting a lot of height or distance.

She was quite slow, the choreography was generic (skating around the rink into jumps done in same spots) and she didn't show a lot of expression. There was a fair amount of arm movements but she wasn't extending them properly or delivering them with enough attack and confidence.

3lutz  high but leaning forward slightly, hand down [-1]
3salchow(again leaning slightly in the air so she was a little over the toe on the landing)/2toe [0]
3toe/2toe  high and solid [1]
scratch butterflies to flying camel/sit/up Y/change camel/sit broken leg/up  slowed down after change of foot [0]
straight line step sequence  footwork quite heavy [0]
3salchow  good height but again leaning forward in the air [0]
3toe/2toe/2toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
2axel  high, good flow out [1]
2axel [1]
to flying camel to sideways twist to upward catch coe  decent rotation speed but the positions could have been better extended [0]
choreographic sequence: front spiral / split jump / footwork [0]
to camel/sit holding foot/change sideways to catch  off-centred slightly [-1]

Her posture and lines aren't very good but she skated this program with quite a lot of power and attack. Choreography wasn't particularly complex but she's shown a decent amount of upper body movement. She was quite stiff however and didn't seem to be able to use her whole body to express the music.

'Walk Like an Egyptian' kind of routine. She has a very poor posture and her movements are quite stiff. So giving her kooky music with a strong beat and busy upper body movement, which reflects the character of the music is the way to go. The program maintained your interest from start to finish and it took the attention away from her flaws. Spins were quite strong as well.

Good posture and lines, she's very elegant. She was quite light over the ice but could use more speed and power in her skating (she is very tiny and slightly built though, so that can at least partly explain it). She didn't make very good use of the music and seemed to mostly skate through it.

In the warm-up, she stepped out of a 2axel and then fell, which has set the scene up for her program, I'm afraid.

3lutz  high but landing not very controlled [0]
2axel  fall [-3]
3lutz(leaning backwards in the air)/2toe  weak landings [-1]
flying sit cannonball to broken leg to forward tuck  decent positions and rotation speed [1]
3toe  fall [-3]
straight line step sequence  could use more speed and flow [0]
3loop  quite high but flow out could have been better [0]
3salchow/2toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
3salchow/2toe/2toe  no speed out [0]
layback to sideways to catch to biellmann  could use a little more speed [0]
choreographic sequence: front biellmann spiral / footwork [0]
to camel to upward catch/change sit/up var to up  good rotation speed [1]

Good speed and power but she mostly skated through the music and her choreography was quite generic.

A very good job fighting until the end and rotating and landing all her other jumps despite two falls in the first half of her program.

Great job on her jumps, this probably was the best she has ever skated. The quality of her elements was not particularly strong, however. Most of the jumps had quite tight landings and steps and spins could use more speed.

The program flowed quite well and she did seem to move to the music most of the time but her movements weren't extended very well and lacked confidence and attack. And she sported her usual distant facial expression. I would really like her to get sent to a performance skills coach. More attack and expression would make a big difference to the way her programs are carried across.

A new personal best and her first top 10 placement at Euros. Sadly Spain doesn't have a second female skater at competitive senior level.

Quite good speed, her skating was light over the ice. Great posture, elegant and composed movement throughout. I wish she accentuated and extended her movements a little better, just give it a little bit more, but that's nitpicking.

A very promising skater with the whole package. Sadly, given the level of Russian skating at present, it's likely her first and last European Championships even though she would easily win Nationals in most of ISU member states.

3lutz  high but landing not very strong [0]
3loop  landed deep in the kne, didn't manage to hold it and stepped out [-2]
2flip [0]
sit to forward tuck/change sit broken leg  quite slow [-1]
3flip  high but leaning forwards in the air slightly both hands down [-2]
back spiral to 2axel [1]
ina bauer towards 3toe  not a lot of flow out [0]
camel coe/sit/up butt out(not extended very well)/change camel to upward catch/sit var/up  two last positions very slow [-1]
circular step sequence [0]
3toe/2toe  landings not very strong [0]
choreographic sequence: front catch spiral / ina bauer [0]
to flying sit side twist  could use a little more speed [0]

Quite good speed throughout but her posture and lines aren't very strong and a big question mark over how the program related to the music. The fast parts had a rhythm which she just couldn't keep up with and the slow languid part did not suit her very well, given her movement isn't particularly elegant or balletic. Something like her SP music (upbeat track with a strong  but not so fast  rhythm) would work much better.

She gets very good height on her jumps but she should work on her spins, which could definitely use more speed.

Quite good speed and great attack throughout. Almost all of the elements were executed to a very high standard.

This program works very well for her. She has slightly rounded shoulders and doesn't have a balletic style but her lines were decent and she is quite spunky and has good energy. The program had busy upper body movement and she sold it really well.

Once again Tuktamysheva has faltered in the short but delivered an excellent free program. And it proved very costly. Despite winning the free with an outstanding performance, she could only settle for the bronze.

This program is far from her best work, however. It lacked transitions and most of the jump entries were very long. She showed some very good expression and skated to the music well at the end of the program but has mostly skated from one element to the next, not paying much attention to the music prior to that.

She certainly deserves very high marks for her skating skills but I don't think that similarly high marks for her other components are justified.

Good speed throughout. A fun program, full of character, with a fair amount of transitions. Fantastic attack and expression from start to finish. She is an incredible performer who always gives it her 110%.

Her skating has really improved under Yuka and Jason's tutelage and the Detroit team has given her very good overall packaging as well. It was definitely a very good decision to move to the US. She's already 26 and it's a shame she hasn't done it earlier.

Quite a lot of upper body movement which was extended well but I had the same reservation as after her short program. The program lacked style and character. You'd never guess what she was skating to if the music was off.

Wouldn't work either. In order to be a judge in the UK, you have to be a former skater who landed at least 1axel and 2salchow.

Whilst I do a little adult skating every now and then, there's no way I'll ever get to this level. :P

Are you sure about that? I know you have to be NISA L6, but do you have to be L6 in elements, or would field moves be enough? Alternatively you could be tech spec instead of judge. I don't think there is any requirement for your skating to be tech spec.